{"id":288422,"date":"2026-07-01T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=288422"},"modified":"2026-06-30T12:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:52:26","slug":"afc-south-quarterbacks-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/01\/afc-south-quarterbacks-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking the Starting AFC South Quarterbacks for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

2025 was a good year for the AFC South, with two teams making the playoffs (Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans) and a third (Indianapolis Colts) missing out after a devastating injury to their quarterback. All four starting quarterbacks in the division in 2026 are the same four that started in 2025. Here are the best AFC South Quarterbacks for 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Best AFC South Quarterbacks for 2026<\/b><\/h2>\n

4. Daniel Jones<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Daniel Jones and the Colts<\/a> got off to a fantastic start in 2025, starting the<\/span> year off at 7-1 and then 8-2 entering their bye week<\/span><\/a>. The Colts lost all seven games after the bye week, mostly because Jones tore his Achilles tendon, which ended his season in Week 14. The veteran Philip Rivers did everything he could to rejuvenate the offense, but the Colts could not get back in the win column.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones is expected to be ready for Week 1 and signed a<\/span>\u00a0two-year, $88 million contract<\/span><\/a>. Even without the injury concerns, Jones is still the worst of the four AFC South Quarterbacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Cam Ward<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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It was a rough rookie season for the number one overall draft pick, Cam Ward, which was to be expected for a rookie quarterback playing for a bad team. Ward<\/span> completed just 59.8% of his passes for 3169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions<\/span><\/a>. He took a league-high 55 sacks behind a bad offensive line. Ward started all 17 games for the Titans<\/a>, but he left the Week 18 game early with an injury.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Titans revamped their entire team with new head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The Titans spent the fourth overall pick on Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate<\/a> in addition to signing Wan\u2019Dale Robinson in free agency. The Titans are doing everything they can to build around Ward. Ward showed flashes in his rookie season, so expect him to take a big leap in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. C.J. Stroud<\/strong><\/h3>\n

C.J. Stroud has had an up-and-down start to his NFL career. He had a sensational rookie season, throwing for over 4000 passing yards, before coming back down to earth in the last two seasons. However, he still led the Texans<\/a> to a playoff victory in all three seasons, although the defense got most of the credit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stroud missed a few games due to injury in 2025. He had the<\/span> highest completion percentage of his career, threw for just over 3000 passing yards, and had 19 touchdowns<\/span><\/a>. Stroud still has a lot left to prove, but he is still better than Ward and Jones, so he comes in at second in the AFC South quarterbacks for 2026 rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Trevor Lawrence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There should not be much debate for the top spot among the best AFC South quarterbacks for 2026. Trevor Lawrence is the clear top guy in the division after leading the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and a division championship<\/a>. He topped 4000 passing yards for the third time in his career, and had a<\/span>\u00a0career high 29 passing touchdowns<\/span><\/a>. He finished 5th in MVP voting.<\/span><\/p>\n

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"That's when things started to click."@trevorlawrence<\/a> reflects on last season's big moments in our latest O-Zone pic.twitter.com\/e7JqwU94Sk<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) June 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n